Six episodes left, so likely to be even more packed with stuff than the previous season, possibly at the expense of all those great character moments in gloomy halls.

Littlefinger's death amongst other things narrows the scope of possibilties. That moment was almost symbolic of the show giving up on intrigue and nuance and just resolving everything in the most epic way possible. Martin has hinted that he won't kill off Baelish in the books, probably because he gets that he and Varys between them represent the crux of the whole story.

Yeah, I sort of want to see Littlefingers plans played through to some kind of end conclusion. Him getting busted by a psychic and then murdered just felt kind of unfulfilling. Like, what was his real end goal? Wasn't there some grand plan that we'll never find out now? Why was he playing so many sides against each other? Did he have a "true' loyalty, apart from to himself?

Yeah, I sort of want to see Littlefingers plans played through to some kind of end conclusion. Him getting busted by a psychic and then murdered just felt kind of unfulfilling. Like, what was his real end goal? Wasn't there some grand plan that we'll never find out now? Why was he playing so many sides against each other? Did he have a "true' loyalty, apart from to himself?

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He had no loyalty to anyone and that's what got him in the end. Nobody had his back.

Six episodes left, so likely to be even more packed with stuff than the previous season, possibly at the expense of all those great character moments in gloomy halls.

Littlefinger's death amongst other things narrows the scope of possibilties. That moment was almost symbolic of the show giving up on intrigue and nuance and just resolving everything in the most epic way possible. Martin has hinted that he won't kill off Baelish in the books, probably because he gets that he and Varys between them represent the crux of the whole story.

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How much behind the books published thus far are the TV series? I did feel the last series ran at a much faster pace than all the previous ones.

Given what a massive success the tv series are, I see little reason for trying to cram too much into six episodes.

How much behind the books published thus far are the TV series? I did feel the last series ran at a much faster pace than all the previous ones.

Given what a massive success the tv series are, I see little reason for trying to cram too much into six episodes.

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I think the reality of trying to be too close to the books caught up with them, just in terms of budgets and timescales. Series 1 was pretty close to book 1, I think. Certainly what I read of it, the first couple of hundred pages, there wasn't much that wasn't in the show.

But then, as time goes on and you're trying to transfer a sprawling fantasy epic of books that get longer and longer, adding more and more characters and sub-plots, onto TV, you become aware that some of your cast members who weren't even teenagers when the show started are now in their twenties, that costs are going up and up for filming, there's a need for more and more elaborate special effects and battles, all that stuff, well, you might start to see a need to trim the fat from the books.

I think they might have managed a more even pace, had the books been completed when scripting started, but, for the reasons mentioned above, they're having to cram so much to the final two seasons that it does feel a bit rushed. Still great TV, though.

I think the reality of trying to be too close to the books caught up with them, just in terms of budgets and timescales. Series 1 was pretty close to book 1, I think. Certainly what I read of it, the first couple of hundred pages, there wasn't much that wasn't in the show.

But then, as time goes on and you're trying to transfer a sprawling fantasy epic of books that get longer and longer, adding more and more characters and sub-plots, onto TV, you become aware that some of your cast members who weren't even teenagers when the show started are now in their twenties, that costs are going up and up for filming, there's a need for more and more elaborate special effects and battles, all that stuff, well, you might start to see a need to trim the fat from the books.

I think they might have managed a more even pace, had the books been completed when scripting started, but, for the reasons mentioned above, they're having to cram so much to the final two seasons that it does feel a bit rushed. Still great TV, though.

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The last two (published) books were so sprawling and overstuffed with characters and plotlines that they would have been impossible to adapt faithfully. And because there are so many plots nothing really develops or resolves. There are about seven major cliffhangers by the end of a Dance With Dragons, which is absurd.